You only mention one thing that is bad. You don't even mention all the good either.

I personally am not a fan of the new metro cosmetic stuff. Not that important. The usability of the new interface on a desktop comes into question too. I could learn to live with all that too, but why. I have windows 7.

What really gets me is the littler things. How microsoft appears to be trying to lock down the OS. That is why all the game developers freaked out. I also really dislike the cloud integration they are trying. I didn't like how I needed to use my windows live account to log in, but just found out I didn't need to. I am questionable about the windows store but that all depends on if they go apple on us.

Performance was one of the only things that might of been able to sell me onto windows 8. ...but this test shows that to be marginal at best.

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You can create a local account, Microsoft isn't forcing anything cloud related on the user, all they did is integrate Skydrive and they are using it the same way Apple uses iCloud, to keep your settings in the cloud to load onto another machine if you choose. Otherwise, it behaves exactly like Windows 7 in that regard.

Also, other than the store what did they lock down? They've hidden things a bit more but that's it from what I can see.

Anyways, back to on topic. Thanks for the comparison W1zz! You got better results than I did with my laptop, but my testing obviously wasn't as in depth as yours haha.

You only mention one thing that is bad. You don't even mention all the good either.

I personally am not a fan of the new metro cosmetic stuff. Not that important. The usability of the new interface on a desktop comes into question too. I could learn to live with all that too, but why. I have windows 7.

What really gets me is the littler things. How microsoft appears to be trying to lock down the OS. That is why all the game developers freaked out. I also really dislike the cloud integration they are trying. I didn't like how I needed to use my windows live account to log in, but just found out I didn't need to. I am questionable about the windows store but that all depends on if they go apple on us.

Performance was one of the only things that might of been able to sell me onto windows 8. ...but this test shows that to be marginal at best.

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As you said you don't need to log into Live so that concern is mute. Being more like Apple? One of the most valuable companies in the world? Yeah of course people are gonna mimic working business models. Wouldn't you? I know Apple computers better then Windows and I gotta tell you some things they do (now implemented in Windows 8) are vastly better then what Windows 7 offers. A simple app store can help a lot of novice users avoid scams. Doesn't mean windows is closed either. Mac isn't closed. That's very big misconception.

Gabe is just worried about having to pay more for windows certification and his Linux...err Steam Box.

As for Metro that's a valid concern for you as its an opinion. An opinion based off of conditioning of "needing" a start menu. Apple doesn't have a start menu. They have a dock where the app aliases are stored. You could argue the lil' apple in the corner could suffice as a start button but I have never EVER seen a power user use it for anything other then shutting down the computer, restarting or updating. Windows 8 is a NEW OS for a change. Its the future. Windows 9 isnt gonna go back to the Windows 7 GUI sorry but this is it. Learn it or go Apple or Linux. Just don't expect any good gaming.

I agree reprogramming yourself after 20 years of conditioning can be tough. I went from OS 7, to OS 8 to OS 9 to OSX. Then I jumped ship and used XP and it was alien to me. Took some time but I learned to be even faster in Windows XP, Vista and 7 then I was in any Mac OS. Now Metro comes along and I get to learn something new and I am willing to bet faster then any current incarnation of Windows when it comes to work flow.

Start menu was replaced by a start screen. Seems like a normal evolution to me and the faster you learn it the better prepared you'll be for the future.

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I would agree if they took it a logical step forward rather than something that takes for ever.

I used windows 8 for a month hoping I'd learn to use it as fast as seven and it just wasn't.

Features that should of stayed on get taken out and pointless gimicky shit got added.

For example in windows seven I hit the windows key, half type what I want and hit enter and it runs the program.

The search function in windows 8 is counter intuitive and slower than the search in windows seven.

The whole GUI is shitty for desktop use regardless of how well it performs under the hood if it's difficult to take advantage of the speed what's the point?

As for unifying devices, my android device keeps up to date with all of my windows desktop applications easily and automatically.

Hell I can even edit office documents on my phone.

I can see what microsoft are trying to do but I feel their execution is lacking.

For the first time in years I'm considering Linux and OSX for my next OS D: ( or hell if they get Android x86 working I'll probably be fine with that )

You can create a local account, Microsoft isn't forcing anything cloud related on the user, all they did is integrate Skydrive and they are using it the same way Apple uses iCloud, to keep your settings in the cloud to load onto another machine if you choose. Otherwise, it behaves exactly like Windows 7 in that regard.

Also, other than the store what did they lock down? They've hidden things a bit more but that's it from what I can see.

Anyways, back to on topic. Thanks for the comparison W1zz! You got better results than I did with my laptop, but my testing obviously wasn't as in depth as yours haha.

As you said you don't need to log into Live so that concern is mute. Being more like Apple? One of the most valuable companies in the world? Yeah of course people are gonna mimic working business models. Wouldn't you? I know Apple computers better then Windows and I gotta tell you some things they do (now implemented in Windows 8) are vastly better then what Windows 7 offers. A simple app store can help a lot of novice users avoid scams. Doesn't mean windows is closed either. Mac isn't closed. That's very big misconception.

Gabe is just worried about having to pay more for windows certification and his Linux...err Steam Box.

As for Metro that's a valid concern for you as its an opinion. An opinion based off of conditioning of "needing" a start menu. Apple doesn't have a start menu. They have a dock where the app aliases are stored. You could argue the lil' apple in the corner could suffice as a start button but I have never EVER seen a power user use it for anything other then shutting down the computer, restarting or updating. Windows 8 is a NEW OS for a change. Its the future. Windows 9 isnt gonna go back to the Windows 7 GUI sorry but this is it. Learn it or go Apple or Linux. Just don't expect any good gaming.

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I did not say they locked anything down. It is a fear that they might. I am pro capitalism and all that. I just don't agree with some of apple's business practices. Apple is one profit making monster though. Not that microsoft is much better as they are now.

Most users don't type in the app they wanna run. They just double click the alias on the desktop.

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My desktop is for looking pretty and for dumping files onto, and nothing else

Seriously though, typing is so much faster and keeps everything clutter free.

I love it.

Instead of opening steam like a bitch and then running my games I just hit windows key type cry hit enter and BAM I'm playing Crysis 2 ( If I want to run one of the other crysis games I press the down key once or twice )

Same with movies and such, instead of opening a folder and browsing I just hit the windows key and write " big tits" and hit enter.

My desktop is for looking pretty and for dumping files onto, and nothing else

Seriously though, typing is so much faster and keeps everything clutter free.

I love it.

Instead of opening steam like a bitch and then running my games I just hit windows key type cry hit enter and BAM I'm playing Crysis 2 ( If I want to run one of the other crysis games I press the down key once or twice )

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My desktop is cleaner then yours I bet. All my apps are tacked on to the top of the start menu. But I have to click the start menu and click then app. On Window 8 the app is in the launch screen. Click. App opens. One less click then Windows 7.

Doesn't matter. MOST users have a desktop that looks like a bomb went off on it. App. aliases everywhere. Metro is an evolution to the common user and guess who MS is selling this too?

Doesn't matter. MOST users have a desktop that looks like a bomb went off on it. App. aliases everywhere. Metro is an evolution to the common user and guess who MS is selling this too?

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Wait you mean shortcuts? "App aliases"?

The main problem about Metro (or whatever it's called now) imo is that it's so different from the "normal" desktop. It feels like you're flung back and forth between different systems. My major complaint is that the tiles are so big. When I saw it I figured you could modify them at least a bit, move them around and make them different sizes. Now it just feels like a waste of space.

And I don't really understand why people complain about an app store. It's one of the better things there.

My desktop is cleaner then yours I bet. All my apps are tacked on to the top of the start menu. But I have to click the start menu and click then app. On Window 8 the app is in the launch screen. Click. App opens. One less click then Windows 7.

Doesn't matter. MOST users have a desktop that looks like a bomb went off on it. App. aliases everywhere. Metro is an evolution the to common user and guess who MS is selling this too?

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So instead of trying to innovate they are catering to the incredibly stupid people? ( They should try and subtlety encourage people to become better at using their computer instead.)

yeah sounds like a good way to develop software to me

Since Android and iOS I've got used to developers trying to stream line things in an intelligent forward thinking way ( Well aside from Samsung who also like a cluster fuck of widgets and icons instead of a tidy and clean OS)

I've also found since windows seven my friends tend to keep their desktops a lot tidier and just utilise the taskbar to pin their most accessed programs. ( to be fair, I taught most of them the quick search method of opening things)

By the by, desktop is attached for you : ] ( I have icons disabled since I don't actually need to see anything I dump on the desktop since I just use search all the time)

I also frequently use search in Android rather than manually looking for things.

Teach people not to be stupid? Um yeah are you new here? No the best path to success is to make things idiot proof. Apple is a trend setter in this aspect.

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That isn't what I said, encouraging development of skill has nothing to do with some persons level of intelligence

Regarding the later part, having a mess of icons and widgets does not make things easier, like you said the average user has no idea how to tidy up that shit. So eventually they'll just have a start screen filled with icons and won't be able to find a thing, hell the icons are becoming animated now as well so people with shitty pcs will get slow downs.

And now Windows Phones, Tablets and Computers will all have the same GUI. Learn one, learn them all. Its the future.

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But it's a shitty Gui!

Like I said I can see what microsoft are going for, the execution is just lacking. I think they've made a mistake with the metro UI. It's to jarring going between metro and the desktop as they function completely differently.

Hell I taught my mother how to organise her app draw on her phone in two minutes and she can barely use windows but she does EVERYTHING on her phone.

Miui, Go launcher and Ios are awesome examples of stream lining without making things a cluster fuck

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I know people who know Windows but is very confussled about modern phones, so you're not universally right. And I have at least two friends (who are not old) to whom I've explained how to do things many MANY times and they still don't get it.

I know people who know Windows but is very confussled about modern phones, so you're not universally right. And I have at least two friends (who are not old) to whom I've explained how to do things many MANY times and they still don't get it.

Like I said I can see what microsoft are going for, the execution is just lacking. I think they've made a mistake with the metro UI. It's to jarring going between metro and the desktop as they function completely differently.

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You think that because you are not fluent in using it. I thought the same thing about windows XP. Open your mind a little. See the big picture.

Smaller footprint, more secure, faster boot and shut down, runs beta drivers and goes toe to toe with a mature OS, ties main OS with all your mobile devices........yet no start button so it must be fail.